Euthanasia
and Mass Depopulation
During Animal Health Emergencies
Overview and Considerations
Definitions
● Euthanasia
– “Good death”
– As painless and stress free as possible
● Mass depopulation
– Large numbers of animals
– Safely, quickly and efficiently destroyed
● Moral obligation to ensure welfare
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Euthanasia and Mass Depopulation
Goals of Euthanasia
● Humane treatment at all times
● Acceptable method
– Quick, efficient and humane
● Minimize negative psychological impact
– Animal owners and caretakers,
responders, public
● Prevent disease spread
● Prevent adulterated animal products
from entering food chain
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Euthanasia and Mass Depopulation
CONSIDERATIONS
• Guidelines
• Method Selection
• Procedure
• Personnel
• Animal Welfare
• Public Perception
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Euthanasia and Mass Depopulation
Euthanasia Guidelines
● American Veterinary Medical
Association
– Guidelines on Euthanasia (2013)
● FAD PReP/NAHEMS Guidelines:
– Mass Depopulation and Euthanasia
● World Organization for Animal
Health (OIE)
– Terrestrial Animal Health Code (Ch. 7.6)
 Killing Animals for Disease Control Purposes
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Euthanasia and Mass Depopulation
Method Selection
● Species
● Number of animals
● Handling and restraint
● Technical skill
● Cost
● Residues
● Personnel safety
● Regulations
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Euthanasia and Mass Depopulation
Procedure Considerations
● Humane treatment
– Quickly rendered
unconscious
– Minimize pain
and stress
● Skilled personnel
● Confirmation of death
– Back-up method
● Site selection
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Euthanasia and Mass Depopulation
Animal Welfare
● Calm, gentle handling
● Non-slip surfaces
● Indoors – consider access for
removal and disposal
● Non-ambulatory animals euthanized
where they are
● JIT Guidelines for handling/restraint
– http://www.cfsph.iastate.edu/EmergencyResponse/just-in-time-training.php
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Euthanasia and Mass Depopulation
Public Perception
● Conduct indoors or away from public
view
● Treat animals humanely at all times
● Media may help convey information
– Necessity of depopulation
– Updates
● Public Information Officer (PIO)
should coordinate to treat the
situation proactively
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Euthanasia and Mass Depopulation
EUTHANASIA METHODS
• Physical
• Chemical
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Euthanasia and Mass Depopulation
Physical Euthanasia Methods
● Captive bolt
● Gunshot
● Special circumstance
– Electrocution (swine)
– Cervical dislocation,
decapitation (poultry)
● Adjunct physical methods
– Exsanguination and pithing
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Euthanasia and Mass Depopulation
electrodes from ear to ear or from poll to muzzle. It is critical that the animal is rendered unconscious
before proceeding. After stunning, the electrodes should be rapidly repositioned to pass current through
the heart and produce fibrillation. The electrodes should be positioned on the sides of the animal over the
heart or on the dorsal and ventral regions of the body. Similar to the use of gunshot and penetrating
captive bolts, euthanasia using electrocution is especially advantageous when there are concerns
regarding carcass disposal due to chemical contamination of the tissues.
Chemical Euthanasia Methods
11.5 Chemical Euthanasia Agents
● Injectable drugs
Similar to the bovine species, the use of injectable anesthetics for
caprines is usually impractical, even for very small numbers of
animals. Compared to captive bolt and gunshot, this method
requires more time and is more expensive. The process will be
necessarily slow because it requires prolonged individual handling
and adequate restraint. In addition, this method is comparatively
expensive and may make carcass disposal a hardship due to
contaminated tissues. Unless a Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)
unscheduled product (e.g. T-61) is made available, the adoption of
a protocol utilizing injectable euthanasia agents in small ruminants
is unlikely. Even if carcass disposal were not an issue, the
necessary record keeping and special requirements of scheduled
substances is a strong deterrent. Even so, the use of injectable
euthanasia agents may be a practical euthanasia method for sheep
and goats in certain situations. This option should be considered
when animals have been hand raised (e.g., 4-H projects), particularly if the owner insists on being present
during euthanasia. The previous section titled “Chemical Methods” covers general information on
chemical euthanasia.
– Barbiturates/
barbituric acid derivatives
– Documentation of
controlled substances
● Gas
– Anesthetic gases
– Carbon monoxide
– Carbon dioxide
● Adjunct injectable chemical methods
Potassium chloride--a non-toxic chemical--may be used to euthanize sheep and goats; but animals must
be anesthetized prior to administration, and this greatly adds to the time expended per animal. Chloral
hydrate may also be administered intravenously (900mg/kg) once the sheep or goat is heavily sedated.
Euthanasia and Mass Depopulation
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Time Training
The
of time required to complete this procedure makes it impractical for most
depopulation
Methods of Euthanasia
● Physical methods
– Quick, painless,
humane, practical
– Require technical
skill, highly trained
personnel
● Chemical methods
– Pet livestock,
companion animals
– Impractical for
mass depopulation
of livestock
 Chemical residues
 Large volume of
drugs required
 Increased handling
to inject drugs
 Cost of chemicals
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Unacceptable Methods
of Euthanasia
● Manually applied blunt trauma
● Injection of any chemical not labeled
for use as a euthanasia agent
● Injection of air into blood vessel
● Electrocution with a
120 or 220 volt electrical cord
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EUTHANASIA METHODS
BY SPECIES
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Bovine, Sheep, Goat Euthanasia
● Primary methods
– Captive bolt
– Gun shot
● Adjunct methods
– KCL,
Magnesium salts
– Exsanguination,
pithing
● Companion livestock
– Injectable drugs
 Barbiturates
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Equine Euthanasia
● Primary methods
– Sedation then
barbiturate
– Captive bolt
– Gunshot
● Adjunct method
● Safety issues
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Swine Euthanasia
● Primary methods
– Captive bolt
– Gunshot
– Gas: Carbon dioxide (CO2)
 Only for smaller swine
● Adjunct methods
● Companion livestock
– Injectable drugs
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In cases in which asphyxiant or toxic gas is used, personnel must be provided with appropriate safety
training. Suitable respirator equipment (e.g., a self-contained breathing apparatus and oxygen equipment)
should be available on site. Personnel in full PPE can become very uncomfortable in warm weather over
time (Webster 2007). All equipment must be used according to guidelines established by the Safety
Officer.
Poultry Euthanasia
14.3 Water-Based Foam
● Methods
Water-based foam is a newer method being employed for
emergency depopulation of land-based poultry and waterfowl. This
foam is similar to that used by firefighters and is generated from a
foam concentrateand
air or an anoxic
gas using specially
designed
Carbon
dioxide
(CO
)
2
equipment. Water-based foam, as well as other foam types, has
been used for mass
in the United
States and other
 depopulation
Water-based
foam
countries during avian influenza outbreaks. Poultry die from
physical asphyxiation versus chemical asphyxiation as seen with
CO2 euthanasia. Studies have shown that asphyxiation by foam
occurs more quickly than CO2 tenting (Benson et al 2007). Other
advantages include greatly increased speed of depopulation when
compared to other methods; decreased labor because fewer
personnel are needed for preparation and to execute this approach;
and little or no bird handling is required. In addition, foam decreases dust and therefore airborne
pathogens, and clean-up is minimal since the foam dissipates over a few hours. Although water-based
foam has not been officially approved as a euthanasia tool, it is used and approved for poultry mass
depopulation under APHIS specified emergency response conditions. If composting is used for carcass
disposal, an additional advantage of the foaming process is that it adds necessary moisture to assist inhouse composting. Disinfectants may also be added to the water/foam to help decontaminate the
immediate environment.
– Inhaled anesthetics
– Injectable anesthetics
– Cervical dislocation
for smaller birds
– Decapitation NOT
recommended if
other means available
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Euthanasia and Mass Depopulation
Confirmation of Death
● Death must be confirmed on each
individual animal
● Parameters
– Lack of heartbeat
– Lack of respiration
– Lack of corneal reflex
 The eyelid is not closed when the
cornea/eyeball surface is touched
– Presence of rigor mortis
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Euthanasia and Mass Depopulation
PERSONNEL
• Training
• Safety
• Psychological Impact
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Euthanasia and Mass Depopulation
Personnel Training
● Animal handling
● Approved euthanasia
method to be used
● Safety issues
● PPE
● Biosecurity
● Cleaning and disinfection procedures
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Euthanasia and Mass Depopulation
Safety
● Specific considerations
– Size, weight,
– Temperament
 Dangerous animals
 Animal familiarity
humans
with
– Restraint methods available
– Euthanasia method and/or
equipment available
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Euthanasia and Mass Depopulation
Psychological Impact:
Responders
● Compassion fatigue
● Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
● Recognition in self
and others
● Psychological first aid
● Counselors and mental
health experts should
be available
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Euthanasia and Mass Depopulation
Because timely initiation of depopulation or euthanasia procedures is critical to containing disease,
euthanasia personnel must be familiar with general considerations that are essential to planning an
effective euthanasia program. A thorough understanding of primary aspects of depopulation and
euthanasia can help euthanasia personnel to act quickly and decisively in a crisis situation.
Psychological Considerations:
Central to successful euthanasia activities are factors such as using humane euthanasia methods, gaining
Owners and Stakeholders
public support for euthanasia activities, documenting the use of controlled substances, and minimizing
personnel and owner stress. These factors are discussed below.
Owners
should
4.1 ●
Humane
and Aesthetic
Considerations
not be present
● If present, brief owners on
Euthanasia should take place in such a wayn as to minimize an
animal’s pain ad stress. To meet this requirement, the animal
should be rendered unconscious as quickly as possible. Essential to
the fulfillment of this objective are the careful selection of the
– Chosen
euthanasia
method
quickest, most
humane euthanasia
methods, and skillful
use of
these methods
on the part of the Euthanasia Team, as outlined in
–
Safety
these guidelines. Public perceptions of the humaneness of the
procedures–used
also are important, as
discussed below. Euthanasia
Counseling
services
should be performed or closely supervised by a veterinarian, and
each animal should be checked at the conclusion of the procedure
to ensure that death has occurred.
● Public Information Office
in charge of
communications
FAD PReP/NAHEMS Guidelines: Mass Depopulation & Euthanasia (2011)
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9
Euthanasia and Mass Depopulation
References and Resources
● AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals
– https://www.avma.org/KB/Policies/Documents/euthanasia.pdf
● FAD Prep/NAHEMS Guidelines
Mass Depopulation and Euthanasia
– http://www.cfsph.iastate.edu/pdf/fad-prep-nahems-guidelinesmass-depopulation-and-euthanasia
● Procedures for Humane Euthanasia. Iowa State
University College of Veterinary Medicine
– http://vetmed.iastate.edu/humaneeuthanasia/en/euthanasi
a-downloads#Index
● World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) Terrestrial
Animal Health Code
– Killing of Animals for Disease Control Purposes
– http://www.oie.int/fileadmin/Home/eng/Health_standards/tahc/20
10/en_chapitre_1.7.6.htm
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Acknowledgments
Development of this presentation was by the
Center for Food Security and Public Health at
Iowa State University through funding from the
Multi-State Partnership for Security in Agriculture
Authors: Katie Steneroden, DVM, MPH, PhD, DACVPM
Reviewer: Glenda Dvorak, DVM, MPH, DACVPM